


Eccentric

by everynlily



Series: Fred Weasley/Jackie Nickol [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:20:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29519379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everynlily/pseuds/everynlily
Summary: Jackie is just a normal girl...who's a witch...with blue hair and has a rather good memory if she did say so herself. She's just trying to get through life as a normal girl. She's going into her first year of Hogwarts and is ready for anything. At least that's what she thinks.
Relationships: Fred Weasley/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Fred Weasley/Jackie Nickol [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2168598
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. Dinner with the Weasley's

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first book in what I hope to be a series. It will cover books 1-3 and I'll do my very best to update it weekly with chapters coming out every Friday. I'm also in college and have a job and I plan on writing other stories as well so be kind please. This is also posted on Wattpad so if you see it there under the same name it’s fine. 
> 
> This starts off a few years before they go to Hogwarts when she first meets the Weasley's.

I sighed, staring into the mirror.

"Why do I have to wear this again?" I whined to my sister Ella. I was referring to the cutesy blue dress my mum was forcing me to wear so I would look “presentable for once” for her old school friends

"Because mum said she would take you to Gambol and Japes and if you didn’t you wouldn’t get to go at all.” 

I huffed, crossing my arms, “Yeah well that's dumb.” I flicked a strand of blue hair out of my face. She could force me into a dress, but she wouldn’t ever do anything to my hair I didn’t want.

"I could make it look more like you, but she might get you anything from Gambol and Japes," she said.

"I can sneak off anytime we’re in Diagon alley, so let’s do it," I said, smiling widely at my twin.

Ella rummaged through our shared closet and came out with my purple rain boots (it was actually muddy outside anyway) and my favorite yellow jacket. She threw the stuff at me then went rummaging through her dresser and came up with a red and white striped ribbon and a white butterfly clip. Wrapping the ribbon around my waist she tied it into a bow, nodding at me with her hands on her hips. I stuck the clip in my hair, sticking back the hair that kept falling in my face.

"Done," she said, whirling me around to face the mirror behind us.

"Perfect," I said, staring at my mismatch of colors that made me much happier. With that we ran down the hall, myself tripping at the door to the living room from my slightly too large boots.

We had a pretty big family in my opinion. Our mum was a pure blood witch and our dad had been a muggle born, but he died in the war. There was Harley, our oldest brother, then Cecelia, then Ella and me and lastly our younger brother Damian. Our mother, Elena, was a metamorphmagus and because of that we all had rather “interesting” hair.

Harley, who was going into his 7th year at Hogwarts, had long bright fire-truck red hair he kept back in a ponytail. Cecelia, who was going into her 4th year, had (in my opinion) much less interesting chocolate brown hair always pulled back into some elaborate style. Then Ella and I, who were both seven, Ella had white hair and I had dark blue hair. Damian, who was four, had bright green hair sticking up in every which way. Even though we all had different colored hair we all had either our mums blue eyes or our fathers brown eyes. Harley, Damian and I shared our mum’s blue and Cecelia and Ella had dad's brown eyes.

Everyone in the room was dressed in nicer clothes than normal for dinner. We had never met them before but mum was apparently good friends with Molly Weasley and they were wanting to catch up after years of just owling each other. Harley and Cecelia were waiting next to the fire talking in quiet voices to each other. They always did stuff like that, being the oldest and both in Hogwarts already. They were close.

They looked towards us when we entered the room, Harley smiling widely while Cecelia just rolled her eyes. "I’m pretty sure that wasn’t what mum had in mind when she picked that dress out," Cecelia commented, eyeing my boots.

"Then she should have picked my shoes too," I said with a grin. At that moment mum walked in practically dragging Damian behind her. When she saw my outfit her eyes widened, but she just sighed and shook her head.

"At least you kept the dress on," she said, joining us by the fire. “Let's get going or we're going to be late. We're going by floo powder so Harley you first, then Cecelia, then you two and we'll go last." 

Harley grabbed a handful of the sparkling dust then asked, "What do we say mum?"

"The Burrow," she replied.

Harley gave her a puzzled look then shrugged and threw the powder down and yelled, “The Burrow." 

Cecelia went and then it was Ella and I’s turn.

Spinning. 

That's what we were doing. Spinning past dozens of fireplaces and catching glimpses of those peoples lives. Though to me it felt like falling. Ella must have thought so too, because when we caught a glimpse of Harley I saw her try to land on her feet but she ended up falling to the ground again. I was able to somersault out of the fireplace and almost was able to stand back up but ended up joining Ella on the ground. My clothes were rumpled and covered in ash and my hair was all over the place, but other than that I was intact which was unusual for me. Usually traveling by floo powder ended with having at least three bruises.

"You've been practicing," I heard Harley say behind me. I spun around and flashed a smile in response.

"You know it's kind of sad that she has to practice falling," Cecelia said beside him.

"Actually I’ve been trying to see how fast I can roll down the big hill behind the house while Ella times me," I said, taking Harley’s hand and standing back up.

"And yet you still trip walking down the hall daily," Ella says behind me. I hear people snicker behind me and turn to find a family of red-heads. 

"Oh you must be Jackeline," said an older looking woman, bustling over and pulling me into a bone crushing hug. "I'm Molly."

"Nice to meet you,” I squeaked, trying to get oxygen back into my lungs. “You can call me Jackie.”

She was about to respond when suddenly I heard my mum yell behind me "MOLLY!" and was pushed out of the way by my own mother.

"Well then," I huffed walking towards Ella only to be tackled to the ground by a green-haired blur.

"JJ!" Damian yelled happily as if I hadn't seen him two minutes ago. 

"Yeah yeah I'm here," I said, pulling him up with a grunt to put him on my hip. As mum and Molly caught up a red-headed man introduced himself as Arthur Weasley and then introduced us to his children. Bill, who was their oldest son, was going into his 7th year of Hogwarts with Harley. Charlie was next and going into his 5th year. Then Percy who was going into his 2nd year. After him were Fred and George who were twins like Ella and me except they looked exactly alike and they were 10. Then there was Ron who was mine and Ella's age and lastly Ginny who was a year younger than Ron and the only girl.

After introductions were made everyone was just chatting with each other and I was left alone seeing as Ella left me to talk to Ron and Damian was being coddled by Molly. At that moment the twins decided to come and talk to me.

"That was quite an entrance," the one on the right said. "I'm Fred by the way," 

"-and I'm George," said the one on the left.

"I'm Jackie," I said before mentally face-palming, "of course you already knew that." I studied their faces trying to pick out any differences and could only find very little. Everything about them seemed identical, but I caught sight of the faintest freckle in the corner of Fred’s mouth that George didn’t seem to have. Other than that there was nothing noticeable.

"Thank you?” I tilted my head a bit, uncertain if it was a compliment or not.

"He means your somersault was the only interesting thing that happened," George explained quickly.

"Yeah everyone else was boring," Fred said. 

"Yeah well I am the only interesting one in the family," I said, raising my voice at the end and glancing over my shoulder.

From across the room I heard Harley yell "Hey!" 

At the same time Ella said playfully, "I would call whatever you are more...eccentric." I stuck my tongue at her before turning back to Fred and George.

"Okay, everyone to the table," Molly said, clapping her hands.

As everyone moved into the kitchen I caught up with Ella and sat down next to her with Harley in front of me and Fred plopping down beside me with George on his other side. When I saw all of the food on the table my mouth dropped. It was enough to feed a village, which I guess we kind of were.

"Well, eat up!" Molly said expectedly. At that everyone started piling food on to their plates and talking over each other. For a while all I did was listen to the conversations around me. Ella was talking to Ginny about their dresses, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were talking to mum about our store (our family owns a store in Diagon Alley, Munson's Odds and Ends, it's been in the family since my great grandfather) and the rest of the kids were talking about school. None of these were very interesting to me until I heard George and Fred whispering to each other. They were trying to figure out the best way to dye Percy's hair pink.

"Why don't we try charming it?" George suggested.

"We might blow up his head or something, we don't exactly know the spell," Fred countered.

"True...we could get Bill to help us?" George suggested again.

"He would never go for it," Fred said thinking.

"Why don't you just use a potion?" I asked, getting more mashed potatoes.

"There's a potion for that?" Fred asked, surprised.

"Of course there is, at Gambol & Japes," I said in a matter-of-fact tone. They were looking at me as if I'd grown a second head. "What?" I asked, confused.

"We just never expected a 7 year old girl to know much about pranking," George explained as Fred was still staring at me strangely.

"I've done my fair share of pranks," I crossed my arms pouting a little.

"Like what?" Fred asked squinting at me.

"Mostly small things. I like using potions and dung bombs and stuff," I said. We continued to talk throughout the rest of the meal. As everyone was enjoying the desert there was a small moment of silence when a loud crack of thunder sounded and rain started pounding on the windows. I squealed so loudly that Damian dropped his fork in fright. Mum whipped her head towards me and without me even asking said, "No!"

"But mum," I whined.

"What are you 'but mum-ing' about," Ron asked confused.

"She wants to go play in the rain," Cecelia said, rolling her eyes.

Percy scrunched up his nose, "Why?"

"Because the rain is amazing and wonderful and fun!" I said squirming in my seat.

"No!" Mum said sternly, ending the subject with a pointed look at me. 

I just gave her an innocent grin in return, but didn’t push the subject. Ella looked at me with a face that said 'what are you up to?' I just smiled at her and mouthed 'you'll see'. 

As everyone was getting back into their conversations I quietly slipped out of my seat towards the backdoor. Right as I was reaching for the doorknob I heard "Jackeline October Nickol, you stay right where you are!" 

Another fun fact about my family. All of our middle names are the month we were born in. Damian's March, Cecelia's June, Harley's January, I'm October and Ella's November. That's the funny thing Ella and I were born exactly 6 minutes apart. I was born 3 minutes before midnight on the 31st and she was born 3 minutes after midnight on the 1st.

Flinching at the use of my full name, I slowly turned around, my shoulders up to my ears.

"Go wait in the other room," my mum said coolly.

I let out a deep sigh, dropping my shoulder, before shuffling into the other room. Right before I left I caught a glimpse of Ella's face and what I could only guess as an apologetic look.

Ella POV-

I looked sadly after my twin as she walked into the other room. I expected mum to go in after her but she just sat back down and picked up her fork. When she saw the questioning looks we were giving her she said stiffly, "She is going to wait there until we leave." She then returned to her meal as if nothing happened.

After that everyone returned to their conversations though at little more subdued. I didn't feel like talking so I just listened and what I heard was very strange. From the next room I heard laughter. Which made no sense to me since she was sitting in there, alone, probably pouting. The conversations around me started to die down as the laughter got louder.

I couldn't stand it anymore. I got up out of my chair and moved slowly towards the living room. I heard chairs scraping behind me so I knew everyone else was following me. As I glanced into the next room I was sure my eyes popped out of my head. It was snowing! In the living room! And in the middle of all of it was Jackie, on the ground, making a snow angel. 

Behind me I heard many gasps and what sounded like someone trying to hold back their laughter. I turned around to find that it was in fact mum who was trying not to, but she couldn't and burst out laughing clutching her stomach. That made Jackie sit up and ,looking very flustered, sputter out, "Oh...um...hi?"


	2. Happy Birthday to Us

"Happy Birthday, Ella!" I said as we tapped our cupcakes together. It was exactly 12:00 midnight on October 31st or 12:00 am on November 1st, whichever way you wanted to see it. This was how we'd celebrated our birthdays for the past 2 years. Home alone with Harley and Cecelia at school and mum at the shop with Damian both of which had most likely fallen asleep working. She did that a lot. So Ella and I were sitting in the middle of our library with a roaring fire behind us. It was my favorite room in the house with its walls covered in bookshelves, a huge window spanning most of one of the walls, and the heavy doors closed shut giving us our own little world. Ella smiled at me before taking a large bite of the cupcake effectively getting icing all over her face. I giggled before handing her a napkin.

"Your lucky mum got you the stuff for cupcakes. After what happened with the Weasley's I was sure she wouldn't even give you a present," Ella said, reaching for another cupcake.

"Whatever do you mean Miss Ella," I said sarcastically, a hand on my chest. "Our dear mother could hardly contain her laughter at the sight of the snow. She could barely get out an apology before she joined me in the snow."

Ella was on her back laughing by now from my description even though that's exactly what happened. "Yeah, but she was a little upset when we got home," Ella said, reasoning with me.

“I guess, I mean she didn't even take me to Gambol and Japes," I said with a frown.

"That's because the next day you tried to jump the roof with Harley’s broom and broke your leg."

"It got better."

"You hopped around the house for 10 minutes before you told anyone!" 

"I was fine." 

"Sure you were."

There was a moment of silence before we both burst out laughing. After we started we couldn't stop; we just sat there in front of the fire rolling on the floor probably looking like a couple of weirdos. 

I realized suddenly I was the only one laughing. Looking around I saw Ella was sitting up, her eyes wide and a hand over her mouth. She looked as if she just remembered something really important. I was confused for a second before she jumped up and ran out of the room leaving me by myself. I heard some shuffling noises from the hall closet and then she was back holding a little present in her hands.

I gasped before running past her, out of the library to our room. I grabbed my own present to her from under my bed before running back to the library. As I ran through the doorway I tripped on the carpet and went face first into the back of the couch. I heard Ella laughing at me from the other side of the couch so I decided to scare her. After I didn't move for a moment she stopped laughing and then I jumped over the couch and on top of her knocking the present out of her hand and the breath out of her.

"What did you do that for?" She pouted, throwing me off.

"You laughed at me," I hopped up and ran across the room towards the present Ella threw.

"Oh no poor you," she said sarcastically, picking up the present I dropped.

She sat down on the ground in front of the fire. I followed suit and we sat facing each other, each holding the presents for ourselves.

"So on three?" I asked. She nodded with a wide smile on her face.

"One."

"Two."

"Three," we said together tearing into our presents. Paper was flying everywhere, including into the fire. A loud squeal was heard from Ella as a grunt of frustration was heard from me. I had gotten her a silver music box. When she opened it it played an old nursery rhyme that she liked, “You are my sunshine”. I, on the other hand, was very frustrated due to the amount of spellotape on the box I unwrapped.

"Really?!" I asked her as she hugged me around the waist, thanking me for the gift. I started tearing at the box trying to get the tape off.

"Why would you use so much spellotape?" I cried, throwing the box down.

"Because it's funny to see you struggle," she took the box from me and some scissors that she was hiding and carefully cut the tape before handing it back to me. I glared at her before opening the box and gasping loudly.

Inside were two necklaces. One was a silver lock and the other was an old-fashioned silver key, it looked as if they fit together. I stared at them for a moment before dropping the box and tackling Ella to the ground in a hug.

"So I'm guessing you like them," she said laughing.

Of course she knew exactly what to get me, it was exactly the type of thing I loved. Anything that was or looked old, like the lock and key, paintings, books. My whole half of our room was covered in things like that.

"Ok, ok that's enough," she said pushing me off, "it’s sort of for me too. You get one necklace and I get the other. So people will always know that we go together." She took the lock necklace and put it around her neck then helped me put on the key necklace. After that we just sat around talking and eating enjoying each other's company. 

It was hours later when both Ella and I had fallen asleep that we heard a loud bang outside the door. We both jerked awake, looking towards the closed door that led to the front hallway. I got up cautiously following Ella towards the door. As she cracked it open there was another loud bang and the front door went flying down the hallway. We peaked through the small opening to see our destroyed front hall in the darkness.

A figure stepped over the rubble but there was so much dust that we couldn't make out anything more. They walked towards our family portrait pointing their wand at mum and dad muttering, "Nickol," before setting the picture on fire. At this Ella stepped back from the door closing it as quietly as she could. 

We looked at each other for a moment with expressions of terror mirrored on our faces. She grabbed my wrist, dragging me behind the couch away from the door. I was shaking, more afraid than I’d ever been before. Someone was in our home and we were all alone with no one to help. All I could do was crouch on the ground and cover my head with my hands, crying and wishing our mum or Harley or someone could protect us. 

Ella had other plans it seemed. She glanced down at me then towards the doors before seeming to come to a decision. She started trying to push the couch we were hiding behind towards the door to block it. It was moving until it got caught on the edge of the carpet. She pushed harder but it wouldn’t budge. Turning to me I saw fear and determination in her brown eyes. She breathed out, "Help me!"

I nodded, moving slowly to stand and help her when there was a loud bang, a flash of light then darkness.

I opened my eyes to see I had been thrown across the room. Everything I could see was either on fire or turned to rubble. The doors had been blown off their hinges and were smoking on the ground. Underneath one of the doors was the couch Ella had been trying to move but I couldn’t see her anywhere Most of the books were on the floor contributing to the smoke that was filling the air. 

In the doorway, a shadowy figure appeared. It moved forward slowly swaying as it walked. I watched him stop by the door with the couch under and nudge something with his foot. “Pity.” He was blocking my view so I couldn’t see what it was. As he moved on and I squinted to see through the smoke what he’d been looking at.  
It was Ella. She was stuck under the remains of the couch and she wasn’t moving. I couldn’t see her very well, but she was partially buried with only her upper body able to be seen. Her usually white hair turned dark with what I hoped was only ash and her face, which had been turned towards me when he nudged her, was blank, her eyes shut.

I didn’t know if she was alive or dead and from my viewpoint I couldn’t tell. I tried to move towards her forgetting about the fire and the intruder. I only cared about my sister. My breathing quickened as I struggled, moving only a few inches, not nearly enough to help her like I needed to. My thoughts raced as I continued my unsuccessful trek. Ella was always the responsible one. She was the one to pull me back from doing the extreme, to talk down my tantrums when our mum couldn’t, to always make sure I was okay after I fell. She was my other half and I wasn’t going to accept that she’d left me so soon.

A sudden pain in my left shoulder I'd never felt before, brought me back to the present. It felt like I was being stabbed with a red-hot poker, like liquid fire was being poured into my veins through that one spot. The man was crouched over me sticking his wand into my shoulder and laughing. Laughing at my pain.

Then it was gone though I could feel the ghost of it still there. I barely had enough energy to lift my head and see one figure running towards the other with his wand pointing towards him. He grabbed the other man's shoulder and left with a barely audible pop heard over the increasingly loud roar of the flames.

I crawled towards the rubble of the door. I tried to move Ella's body from under the ruined door but could only hold tight to it as tears started to fall. "Don't leave me Ella, please don't leave me," I whispered. Looking to her face I saw that her eyes were still closed and her face was smeared with ash and blood. She was gone. I let out another sob and let the darkness I'd been fighting off take me too.


	3. Letter to Hogwarts

Three years later.

Floating.

That's what it feels like I'm doing.

Floating in an endless ocean. Under the water where everything is calm and quiet. I don't need air. I just get to float calmly in this sea of quiet. Suddenly the need to breathe weighs down on me like someone is sitting on my chest and I float up towards the sky.

When I break the surface I see that everything is not as calm as it seemed. There is fire burning on top of the water and the sky was black with smoke. Some ways away from me a floating rock is the only safety I can see.

I swim towards the island struggling the whole way as the water seems to drag me down, feeling more like tar. When I reached the island I realized it was a lot larger than I originally thought. Pulling myself up onto the island, I lay on the ground for a minute as I tried to catch my breath.

From behind me I heard, "Jackie! HELP!" Jumping up and spinning around I see Ella standing a few feet with her legs buried in the ground. I tried to run and help her but I couldn't move and I looked down to find that my own feet were submerged in the ground as well.

"HELP! Please!" She yelled again as a rumbling sounded in the distance. We both looked up to see a shower of rocks tumbling down from the sky. The rocks came down and landed all around Ella until they blocked her completely from my view. She was still screaming for help but as more rocks landed her cries were cut off. 

"NO!" I yelled sitting up, my eyes flying open. I looked around realizing that I was fine, that I was in my room and it was only a dream. I let out a loud sigh as I fell back on my bed, covering my head with my blanket. I had that dream more often than I would admit and it never failed to scare me.

I sit up again as the smell of waffles wafts into my room. I jump out of bed quickly and run out of my room towards the stairs. As I jump to the bottom, skipping a few along the way, my foot catches on the carpet and I face plant. Getting up I run to the kitchen sliding past the table due to my socks and nearly running into the edge of the counter. Mom chuckles at my enthusiasm, shaking her head before going back to making breakfast. As I sit at the table next to Damian, Cecelia walks in and sits down. "All that noise that we heard was just Jackie falling right?" Cecelia asked, looking at me knowingly. 

"What else would it be," my mother laughed. She turned around placing a plate of chocolate chip waffles on the table before sitting down herself.  
I glared at them before grabbing a waffle and drowning it in syrup. 

"Oh, Jackeline do you mind grabbing the mail before you eat?" Mom said suddenly. 

I sighed loudly, but set down my fork and trudge out of the room.

Walking into the front hall and I grab a stack of letters from the ground, glancing at the top one before doing a double-take and squeaking in excitement. I rushed back to the kitchen, throwing the other mail to the side and shoving the letter into my moms face as she sat at the table. It was a thick envelope made of yellowish parchment with emerald green writing on it saying, 

Miss J. Nickol  
The Room in the Upstairs Corner  
1254 Water Wind Dr.  
Grey Forest  
Texas

My siblings went silent as our mom stared at the envelope in my hand. We were never sure if I would get it after we left England. After Ella died we held a small funeral, then left the day after. Mom closed down the shop and talked with Dumbledore so that Cecelia would still go to Hogwarts. When Harley was done with school he stayed with us for the summer then left to "travel". He didn’t say any more than that. He still visits now and has a job in Germany. We think he might have a girlfriend but he won't tell us anything.

When we moved here we tried to just keep to ourselves. I refused to talk to anyone about what happened after I answered the aurors questioned me about that night. I was scared he would come back and nothing anyone told me convinced me otherwise. No one could figure out what happened other than the idea that it was someone from my parents past. They had been a part of the Order of the Phoenix and made a lot of enemies along the way.

My mom tried to comfort me, taking me with her whenever she went out, having me play with Damian. She even found some pamphlets for a muggle doctor. A therapist who helped people cope with sudden deaths. I went to one session and it helped me to understand some things better, but I couldn’t tell them about what really happened so I didn’t go back. 

The next time that Harley visited he brought his old broomstick with him and let me ride it. That was the first time since she died that I had felt happy again. Mom realized that when she saw me laughing in the sky and bought me my own broom the next day. It was a bit small and the stick was a bit cracked in places, but I loved it. After that I slowly started to open up again, helping mom around the house, trying to teach Damian how to ride my broom, and sending letters to Cecelia every week she was away at Hogwarts. 

I still kept the key Ella gave me around my neck and had my mom put the lock necklace onto the box that I’d given to Ella that night so no one could get into it. I kept a picture of us together in there as well as small things that reminded me of her. The hair clip she’d worn all the time that I had found in a box when we first moved, a bracelet I’d found on the sidewalk once, a cool rock that another kid in town had given me. 

That was one thing I was proud of. I’d made a few friends in town when my mom took me to the out with her to run errands and to the park. There were a few muggle kids that I played with and a wizard family that my mom met when we first moved here. Their son was around my age and we liked to play around with my broom. Because I hung out with so many American kids though, I had started to talk more like them. I didn’t even realize it until my mom said something one day in a joke. She said she hadn’t seen me so happy with other kids like that since Ella. It made her happy.

As we stared at the letter, I deflated a little, realizing that I would have to leave my friends. But I would make new ones I suppose. I pulled the letter back towards me and opened it, feeling their expectant gazes on my bent head. Inside there were two pieces of paper. The first said,

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of   
WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY  
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore  
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sor., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Miss Nickol,  
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. Please find an enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins September 1st. We await your owl no later than July 31st.

Yours Sincerely,   
Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress 

I read the letter out loud to my family. By the time I was finished Damian was laughing in excitement and Cecelia was grinning like mad. Mom on the other hand was frowning and looked very deep in thought. 

"What's wrong mom?" I asked, concerned. 

She looked suddenly before saying, "I've just been thinking...maybe we should move back to England."

Silence.

"Well just because you'll be going to Hogwarts now,” she reasoned, seeing our confusion. “Which means Damian will be going to Hogwarts no matter where we live. And Cecelia, you'll be going into your 7th year then after that you're going out into the world. I know how you've always wanted to work at Gringotts and I wouldn't want to stop you just because we live in America," she said quickly, "and we wouldn't have to go back to the house. We could live in the flat above the store. There's enough room."

More silence.

Then, "I think your right mum," Cecelia said slowly. "I mean you're right Jackie is going to Hogwarts and so will Damian. I think it's a good idea."

"I'm with Cissy," Damian piped up looking at her. 

Everyone turned to look at me, "What do you think, cupcake?" Mom asked.

Whenever I pictured going to Hogwarts Ella was always with me. Now I would be going, but I’d be alone. The idea terrified me, but the more I thought the more I realized I wanted to go. I was 11 years old now and I was actually ready to start something new, even if it was without my twin. Finally I answered, "Yeah you’re right mom, it's time to go home."


	4. Back in Diagon Alley

I looked at my room one last time, at the bare walls and empty closet. This place had been my refuge for three years and now I was going back where I only had memories of Ella. "Don't worry Ella," I whispered, " I'm coming home."

My hand went to the key around my neck. It had faded to a grayish-brown color but it still reminded me of her. In my mind it was more valuable than anything else I owned.

I turned around and slowly walked down the stairs to meet the rest of my family in the front hall. We'd already sent most of our stuff ahead of us, there were only a few small things that we each had, which is what we were carrying with us.

"Hurry up Jackie we're already late," mom said, taking Damian's hand. We were apparating since Cecelia was of age. Cissy took my hand and turned on the spot and the feeling of being squeezed through a tube came. Then just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore it was gone and I was standing in the familiar area of "the family business" as mom called it.

There were the shelves that reached the ceiling, filled with the strangest assortment of objects anyone has ever seen. Potion bottles of every sort, old spell books, cauldrons, and every enchanted object you could think of all still in relatively good condition from what I could see in the darkness. It truly fit the "odds and ends" part of the name. There was no other store like it and we were proud of that.

Mom walked to the back of the store, in between two shelves and reached the door that led to the flat above it. Before now it had just been used as a storage area, mom told us, so there might be some extra boxes lying around. I found out that there were multiple boxes lying around as I walked up the stairs, nearly tripping twice. We had gotten here at night so when we finally got out of the stairwell we couldn't see a thing. Mom groped around for a light switch and found one on the opposite wall. We then figured out we were in the kitchen which had many unpacked boxes stuffed in corners and on the island. It seemed cozy.

"Why don't you three go put your bags in your rooms," she said then saw our questioning looks and finished with, "Your names are on the doors." Then she waved her wand and started to cook dinner.

I turned and walked down the hall with Cecelia and Damian at my heels. My room was at the very end of the hall across from the bathroom. I opened the door to find all of my furniture in place (thank you mom) and I had a window seat that looked out into Diagon Alley. The walls were bare but I would fix that as I unpacked. Sitting down on my bed and I shrugged off everything I was carrying. For a while I just sat there taking everything in before I opened my bag and pulled out the silver music box then set it on the dresser. 

I smile and pat the box then turn and walk to the corner where the rest of my unpacked stuff was. I had just finished unpacking my clothes when I heard a crash down the hall and a "Sorry!" from Damian.

I chuckled. He's may not be as prone to falling as me but he drops stuff easily.

"Dinner," mom calls out just as I finish unpacking my books. I walk to the door before turning and taking a look around. A smile creeps onto my face before I turn back and walk down the hall.  
~~~  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN’T GO INTO DIAGON ALLEY?!" Ah yes, the lovely sound of Cecelia's screeching to wake me up in the morning. "I said you couldn't go alone," mom answered calmly. "That's so unfair!" Cecelia whined before I heard her stomp to her room.

I groaned before throwing off my covers and sitting up. The morning sun streamed through my window and covered my room in spots. My vision was fuzzy for a moment before adjusting quickly. I slid out of bed, stretching as I went. I simply stood in the middle of my room for a couple of minutes before the smell of sausage hit my nose; suddenly I was up and running to the kitchen, tripping over the boxes in the hallway before skidding into the table, hitting my stomach. I may have been winded but I wasn't down as I struggled to grab the back of my chair and clutch my stomach at the same time. Eventually I made it on to the stool listening to my mom laughing at my struggle.

I grabbed some sausage and gave my mom a pointed look while she hid her smile with her hand. "So what are we going to do today?" I asked as I bit into the sausage.

"Well I was hoping you guys could help me pick up the store," she said putting some eggs on my plate, " I can't open it until it's clean so I was trying to get it done as soon as possible."

"Sure. I'm sure Damian will help too. Though I can't say the same for Cissy."

"Yes well she can stay in her room and pout, I'm not letting her wander Diagon alley alone. I don't care how old she is." I giggled as Damian walked in and joined for breakfast.

"So if I heard right, we're helping mum with the store today?"

"Yeah, once the store is open Jackie and Cecelia can go out and get their stuff for school," mom said loudly, looking towards the hall. We heard a thump and the sound of footsteps on the stairs, before watching Cecelia slouch down the hall and sit down grumpily.

"So the faster we get the store ready, the faster we can actually go out in Diagon alley?"  
Cecelia confirmed. Mom nodded with a smile. Cecelia let out a dramatic sigh before saying, "Well, I guess I have to." 

I smiled, "Oh come on Cissy, it'll be fun." She rolled her eyes in response before helping herself to some eggs. We finished breakfast in silence before going down to the store. When mom flipped on the lights, I realized that I hadn't caught the actual amount of filth that was there. Everything was covered in a layer of dirt and grime. Somehow some shelves had been tipped over and spilled a bunch of old books and potion ingredients. "Well this is a mess," Damian said, picking up a lionfish spine.

"Oh well we can fix that, you two just sort everything out. Cecelia do you have your wand? Good. You can help me clear out all this dirt," mom said quickly before walking over to the counter. Damian and I sorted through the stuff on the floor, occasionally pointing something out to one another. Mom and Cecelia worked on clearing out the store of the layers of dust in it.

This was how we spent the next few days cleaning, restocking, and more cleaning. We would sort through the shelves seeing what could be kept and what would be thrown away. Every once in a while I would find something interesting, an old remembrall or a mini secrecy sensor. I knew that mom wouldn't miss them, so I would pocket them when no one was looking. One day I found something that resembled the pens I’d seen in my muggle friends houses. It was a small cylindrical object that had been stuck in a sealed jar. It had a cap on one end that covered up a triangular tip with a small split down the middle. It was rather pretty, being black and gold, so I decided to keep it and figure out what it was later.

Finally, FINALLY! After a week of working the store was ready to open. 

That morning I woke up to silence. It was weird since I usually was woken up by some loud noise or other, either with Cecelia yelling about wanting to go into Diagon Alley, Damian dropping something, or mom bustling about, there was never peace. I got out of bed, slowly poked my head out to see what was going on. When no one jumped out at me I crept down towards the kitchen. No one was there. I walked to the door that opened to the staircase leading to the store. I placed my ear to the door, because I didn't want to go out there in my pajamas. Just as I did the door burst open and I was knocked to the ground.

"Oh there you are."

I look up to see Cecelia standing in the doorway. "What's going on?" 

"Mom just opened the store. I was just coming to tell you to get ready."

"Ready? Ready for what? What time is it?"

"Ready to get our stuff for school. Mom said we could. And it's 10:30, you slept really late."

She was right, I did sleep late. I usually woke up earlier without a problem. It wasn't by choice it was just how I was. Of course, I had stayed up late reading a muggle book I found in one of my boxes. I think mom must have packed some of my friends' going-away gifts without me knowing. The book I found was called "The Hobbit". So far it was really good.

I got up off the floor and followed Cecelia to the hallway before going to my own room. Looking around the room I tried to figure out what to wear before grabbing a pile off of the floor. I'm not exactly the cleanest person so there were clothes on the ground and books stacked all over the place. I picked out a random assortment of colorful clothes and my red cloak. I slipped on some shoes before hopping up skipping out of my room and towards an impatient Cecelia, who was waiting in the kitchen.

"Took you long enough," she huffed standing up.

"Well sorry but I wasn't going out there in my pj's." She rolled her eyes then turned and walked down to the shop. I rushed to follow her and ended up tripping on the bottom step and falling through the door running straight into someone. I fell backwards with a thump and was fine for a moment before the person I ran into fell on top of me, crushing me.

"Ow," the boy said, getting up. He looked about 13 with flaming red hair. Something about him looked very familiar and I was itching to go back in my memory to see if I knew him, but Cecelia was already getting money from mom. I guessed I had about 30 seconds before she was at the door.

"Sorry!" I said getting up. The boy was looking at me strangely but most people did considering that I have blue hair.

"It's fine I was just...uh..." he trailed off looking behind me at the door. I then realized that he was standing suspiciously close to a door that had a big sign on it saying DO NOT ENTER, so I took a guess. "Trying to get through this door? Which customers aren't supposed to even touch? You know I can have you banned for that."

He looked scared for a minute before putting a confident smirk on his face, " And how could you do that?"

"My mom owns the place. If I think someone is acting weird she won’t question me."

He really looked scared for a moment before putting on one of the best puppy dog faces I’ve ever seen. It might even be better than mine.

"Please don't, I was just messing around."

I laughed rather loudly, "Well take my word for it, it isn't very interesting up there any ways."

He glanced behind me again as I closed the door, but shrugged his shoulder, "Well thanks for not ratting me out. What's your name anyways?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," I smirked before running off towards Cecelia. she was standing by the door tapping her foot impatiently.

"Ok fine I'll just call you...blue. Yeah! Bye Blue!" He yelled after me. I laughed out loud before walking out of the shop.

"What was that about?" Cecelia asked.

"Nothing," I said, still laughing, "Can I see the list."

She handed my my list and it said-

Uniform  
First-year student will require:  
1\. Three sets if plain work robes (black)  
2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear  
3\. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)  
4\. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)   
Please note that all students clothes should carry name tags at all times

Books  
1\. The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshwawk  
2\. A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot  
3\. Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling   
4 A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch  
5\. One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore  
6\. Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger  
7\. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander  
8\. The Dark Forces; A Guide to Self-protection by Quentin Trimble

Other Equipment  
1\. 1 Wand  
2\. 1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)  
3\. 1 set of Glass or Crystal Phials  
4\. 1 Telescope  
5\. 1 set of Brass scales  
6\. Student may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad  
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

"Mum already got most of our equipment, we just need our uniforms and books. And you need your wand and a pet if you want, but we can get that later."   
The first place we went was Madam Malkin's Robes for All occasions which was right down the way from Munson's. The bell rang as we came into the shop and a small, stout woman came in from the back.

"Oh hello Cecelia dear. Your mum came in a few days ago to say she was opening her shop back up and that you would be coming soon. You two are the only ones here right now so I'll just fix you and..." she trailed off.

"Jackie," I said quickly.

"Jackie, Right up with your robes." She hustled us to the back and up onto some platforms surrounded by mirrors. As she measured us she mumbled things like "My she's grown" and "So small compared to her sister". I knew I was small, but sheesh, could you be a little quieter about it. By the time she was done there were other people here including that red-headed boy and what I assumed to be his family. 

As soon as he saw me he yelled, "HI BLUE!". I walked out quickly trying to hold in my laugh as Cecelia gave me a smirk. 

"Oh bugger off, I met him in the store this morning." She nodded her head, still wearing that smirk. I huffed in annoyance before I had an idea. "How about we split up. You can get the books and I can go get my wand then we can meet up at Magical Menagerie." 

She thought about it for a second then nodded her head saying, "Okay," and we walked in opposite directions.

I looked around for Ollivander's before spotting it and trotting towards it. When I was getting close I looked in the windows and could have sworn there was someone watching me but when I blinked there was nothing. I shivered as I walked through the door. The place seemed strangely empty even with all of the shelves. A scuffling in the back proved me wrong as a man with wide silver eyes and wispy hair came into the light. I assumed that this was Mr. Ollivander even though I had never seen him before because he was the only one in the shop.

"You must be Jackeline. You look very much like your mother," he said as he waved his wand and measuring tapes flew to measure me and heralded to the back of the store. He was right about her dying in the war but I didn't get how he knew that. "She has a lovely wand 13 inches, red oak, unicorn hair, very sturdy. I always liked her, she was stubborn. Took about 20 wands before I found the right one and I'll find yours too."

He came back carrying a stack of boxes and the tape fell to the floor. He opened the first box and handed me the wand, but before I could even wave it he snatched it back and gave me a different one. We did this for a while before he even let me wave one. Though when I did a stool burst into flames so maybe he was just trying to keep his store safe. Soon a fairly large pile had formed and his store was trashed despite his efforts. All he said was, "Very interesting."

He went to the back again and came out with another box. It was a bit more worn than the others and looked like it hadn’t been touched in a while. "I’ve had this wand for a while and it has yet to find an owner, but I always like to say the wand chooses the wizard.” He pulled out the wand. I expected it to look either very grand or very old, but it was rather unremarkable. White, covered in what looked like brown scratches with the handle defined by a brown, raised ring a third of the way from the bottom.

“10 ½ inches, made of a willow tree branch and dragon heartstring; rather swishy." He handed me the wand. As soon as I touched it I knew that it was mine. A warmth spread up my arm and suddenly I felt cold flakes on my face. It was snowing. All around me things were covered in snow. Just as suddenly it stopped and I looked up to see Mr. Ollivander smiling at me.

"I think I found my wand," I said smiling widely myself. Handing the wand over to him so he could ring me up I noticed what looked like some scratches on the bottom of my wand. At first I thought it was just like the rest of the want, but looking closer I can make out some sort of design. As I’m turning to go I ask him before leaving, "What’s the design on the bottom of my wand?" 

His vague smile left his face and he looked almost sad for a moment, "It’s a rune, Ms. Nickol. It means continue, whoever holds this wand must have the strength to continue."

~~~

After Mr. Ollivander said that I left quickly, choosing to ignore his strange parting words. I met up with Cecelia just as we planned in front of Mengerie's. Showing her my wand, she said it was pretty but hers was still better. I rolled my eyes knowing she was just messing with me. As we went inside I walked right to the back where they kept the cats. I knew that that was what I wanted since I got my letter, my own cat. 

They had a large pen to hold them and give them room to play. It was filled with cats of every size and color and I had no idea how I was going to pick. A little meowing at my feet caught my attention as I looked down and saw the cutest thing I'd ever seen. It was a small, pure white kitten. When it looked up at me I saw that it had dark brown eyes and was extremely fluffy. I knelt down and it nuzzled into my hand.

"You like that one?" the employee asked. 

"Yeah," I said with a smile, "This is the one."

"That's a good choice there, this little girl is a ragdoll kitten. She’s one of the friendliest in the store," he says as he rings up everything Cecelia grabbed at the register. Cecelia pays for it with the money mom gave us and we leave the store with a lot of bags and my new kitten sitting on my shoulder. She seemed to like it up there so I left her there as we made our way back to the shop.

As we walked Cecelia asked, " What are you going to name her?" 

"Ella," I said with a smile. From the corner of my eye I saw Cecelia smile to herself. I realized then that I was finally ready to go to Hogwarts.


End file.
